Letter received from Klarna Final Notice - I've never even used Klarna!

spindly_dude

I haven’t heard anything from Klarna since the letter at the end of June demanding payment of £295 for a purchase from DHgate . I have never been and certainly never will a customer of Klarna . Yesterday I got a call from their security. Unfortunately I was driving and didn’t hear it . They asked me to call them on a certain number  , and they will be free to speak to me . I called them and it was just their normal customer service, who asked me to keep my phone close by as their security team should be speaking to me soon . Looking at a previous entry on this forum I am concerned that they will dismiss my request to close the matter out of hand and continue to pursue me for the money .
  I have looked at how to complain , and it seems that according to the FCA I have to go via the FOS , unfortunately they only deal with complaints if you have been a customer of the firm concerned , which I am not . I might pay them the money if they guarantee that they will never have me as a customer ever again , just to get them off my back but it’s still worrying that a firm can claim a debt off you when only your name and address have been used ( it also isn’t the full address , misses my flat location) . I have joined the CIFAS register, and my credit score is still excellent according to Experian . I also ordered a new credit card ( to see if there were any issues ) with no problem.I am wondering if it’s worth talking to a solicitor about this , with all the costs involved .

goodnightirean_

spindly_dude said:

I haven’t heard anything from Klarna since the letter at the end of June demanding payment of £295 for a purchase from DHgate . I have never been and certainly never will a customer of Klarna . Yesterday I got a call from their security. Unfortunately I was driving and didn’t hear it . They asked me to call them on a certain number  , and they will be free to speak to me . I called them and it was just their normal customer service, who asked me to keep my phone close by as their security team should be speaking to me soon . Looking at a previous entry on this forum I am concerned that they will dismiss my request to close the matter out of hand and continue to pursue me for the money .
  I have looked at how to complain , and it seems that according to the FCA I have to go via the FOS , unfortunately they only deal with complaints if you have been a customer of the firm concerned , which I am not . I might pay them the money if they guarantee that they will never have me as a customer ever again , just to get them off my back but it’s still worrying that a firm can claim a debt off you when only your name and address have been used ( it also isn’t the full address , misses my flat location) . I have joined the CIFAS register, and my credit score is still excellent according to Experian . I also ordered a new credit card ( to see if there were any issues ) with no problem.I am wondering if it’s worth talking to a solicitor about this , with all the costs involved .

I actually said to Klarna I feel like I want to pay it just to get it over and done with and they said no don't pay for something you didn't order, can't believe I offered tbh it might happen again

sourcrates

Good grief no, don`t ever do that, never pay for something you did not receive.

The collection process can make you feel that way, especially so when the creditor is as incompetent as Klarna appears to be.

In fact debt collectors letters and calls are particularly ambiguous in nature, and are designed to be so, in order for you to become so frustrated with them, you pick up the phone and initiate contact, something you should never do.

Collection activity is all designed with that in mind, don`t let it influence you.

Spinners1961

sourcrates is right - do not pay for something you did not receive!

Towards the end of the week, I made a little bit of a breakthrough. After an initial outright refusal that went like this;

After concluding our investigation, we have arrived at a decision regarding your complaint. We have decided your complaint is not upheld. 

I've kept on at them (by e-mail and not by phone or letter) drawing attention to the fact that they are not compliant with their own Klarna complaints procedure (specifically on timescales - link at bottom of this post) and their latest reply started with this much more conciliatory tone;

Upon further review of your case, we have decided to send you a new final response with an altered outcome.

It's a really long e-mail but they apologise (which is always appreciated) and go on to state that I am not liable for any outstanding balance and that any credit marks will be removed from my credit file. Not so good is that they are refusing to pay any compensation and you will note that they call it a 'final response'. That cuts no ice with me but I must admit that I'm caught between wanting to move on and wanting to push a bit further but just for my costs (about £40).

https://assets.ctfassets.net/4pxjo1vaz7xk/6Ksub2eoOYg5AQ9aWv6ZS7/f79f64fe15b8ab40e6dc5ddd15878c24/_Master__UK_Complaints_Handling_Procedure__FOS_and_Exempt_.pdf

jmb1

I'm the OP of this post, and it seems I'm far from alone in this Klarna / DHGate fiasco. I received a call about a week ago from Klarna wanting to confirm details which I did, to then be told they've had an exceptional number of these cases, reassuring me I wasn't liable for the outstanding debt and their security/fraud department are working through all the cases, and that I should wait for it to be dealt with.

Meanwhile I've had emails from the credit agencies I've contacted saying they can't do anything their side, it's up to Klarna to correct the (incorrect) credit record.

I'll give it another week before chasing them up again I think.

teffy

I’ve just had a phone call from ‘The security department of Klarna’…someone called Michael who wouldn’t give me his second name. He was phoning regarding my case which I reported at a similar time to you. He wanted my full name, date of birth and address. I felt very reluctant to give him all these as I had already been scammed once. He said as I wouldn’t cooperate that he couldn’t continue with my case. 

He suggested I go back to Klarna. 

Not sure if I’ve been stupid now, I just didn’t want to leave myself open to more scamming. Did you pass this info over?

Spinners1961

teffy said:

He wanted my full name, date of birth and address... Did you pass this info over?

Yes but under slightly different circumstances as I gave this information on a call that I made to them and not someone phoning me. I really do understand your concern. These contact details could help you start afresh;

Security Team 0203 005 0837

service@klarna.co.uk

jmb1

Spinners1961 said:

Not Klarna related but very much part of the identity fraud.

A tiny bit of info for context. I'm retired and my only source of income is a pension annuity. I was looking at my HMRC account online this morning and checked my PAYE details. Apparently, I now work for a company called CALIMANSMR LTD a "private company limited by guarantee without share capital run" by a Romanian gentleman called EUGEN CALIMAN and first incorporated on March 29th, 2024.

Very disturbing. 

I today have also received a letter from HMRC to tell me my tax code is changing. In this letter is my actual employer's company name (no problem there) but also I apparently work for a construction company which when I look it up is also like above, owned by a Romanian gentleman (not the same as above). I'd urge anyone who has fallen foul to this Klarna scam to also check your HMRC record therefore. Like above the company also registered with HMRC in March 2024. Really unhappy.

Spinners1961

jmb1 said:

I'd urge anyone who has fallen foul to this Klarna scam to also check your HMRC record therefore. 

Seconded. I hope that's not the case but I recommend we check.

sourcrates

jmb1 said:

I'm the OP of this post, and it seems I'm far from alone in this Klarna / DHGate fiasco. I received a call about a week ago from Klarna wanting to confirm details which I did, to then be told they've had an exceptional number of these cases, reassuring me I wasn't liable for the outstanding debt and their security/fraud department are working through all the cases, and that I should wait for it to be dealt with.

Meanwhile I've had emails from the credit agencies I've contacted saying they can't do anything their side, it's up to Klarna to correct the (incorrect) credit record.

I'll give it another week before chasing them up again I think.

I would have assumed that yours was not a "one off" case, and that others have been targeted too.

It will likely be a small cog in a large wheel who are dealing with this matter, and they will not want this to become too public, hence why one hand doesn't know what the other is doing at Klarna.

Data breeches have been rife with this company, here and abroad, they are been constantly targeted by fraudsters.

Lets hope you get a satisfactory outcome from this.